Strong Multi-Family and Commercial Activity During the Quarter Amid An Improving Single-Family Demand Backdrop

GMS Inc. (NYSE: GMS), a leading North American specialty building products distributor, today reported financial results for the fiscal second quarter ended October 31, 2023.

Second Quarter Fiscal 2024 Highlights

(Comparisons are to the second quarter of fiscal 2023)

• Net sales of $1.4 billion decreased 0.7%; organic net sales decreased 3.1%.
• In the U.S., Wallboard volume growth of 17.0% in multi-family and 6.5% in commercial helped to offset single-family volume declines of 11.4%.
• Net income of $81.0 million, or $1.97 per diluted share, decreased 21.5% compared to net income of $103.2 million, or $2.41 per diluted share in the previous year; Net income margin declined 150 basis points to 5.7%; Adjusted net income of $94.6 million, or $2.30 per diluted share, compared to $119.5 million, or $2.79 per diluted share in the previous year.
• Adjusted EBITDA of $167.6 million decreased $28.0 million, or 14.3%; Adjusted EBITDA margin was 11.8%, compared to 13.7%.
• Improved cash generation with cash provided by operating activities and free cash flow up 10.1% and 5.8%, respectively, as compared to a year ago; Net debt leverage was 1.5 times, improved from 1.6 times a year ago.

“We were pleased to deliver solid results for our fiscal second quarter, including net sales, net income and Adjusted EBITDA that were ahead of our previously stated expectations as commercial and multi-family Wallboard, Ceilings and Steel Framing volumes outpaced our forecast,” said John C. Turner, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer of GMS. “These solid levels of demand helped to offset a steeper than anticipated steel pricing decline along with single-family demand that is comparatively reduced versus the prior year, but sequentially improving.”

“Our well-balanced product portfolio, with a revenue mix roughly evenly split between commercial and residential construction, allows us to flex our operations to best align with demand as dynamics in our end markets evolve,” Turner continued. “In the near term, we anticipate the backlog in multi-family construction to drive continued growth in this end market through the end of fiscal 2024, albeit at declining year-over-year rates. Despite some potential headwinds from tightened credit conditions, our commercial demand is expected to continue its current pace of activity over the next few quarters. Additionally, we are optimistic about improving single-family activity, as the very recent easing of mortgage rates, limited supply of existing homes for sale and favorable demographics seem to be setting up improved conditions, particularly as we look out to fiscal 2025.”

“While market conditions are fluid, our scale, wide breadth of product offerings, execution and expertise across all of our varying end markets, and our commitment to outstanding service continues to position us well for solid financial performance, growth and realization of value for our shareholders over the long term.”

Second Quarter Fiscal 2024 Results

Net sales for the second quarter of fiscal 2024 of $1.4 billion decreased 0.7% as compared with the prior year quarter. Continued solid demand in commercial and multi-family construction drove volume increases in Ceilings, Steel Framing and Complementary Products, the benefits of which were offset by a marked price deflation in Steel Framing, which reduced net sales by $85 million for the quarter. Despite softness in the single-family market, Wallboard experienced only a slight volume decline, contributing to continued resilience in pricing. Recent acquisitions also contributed positively for the quarter. Organic net sales, which exclude the first year of acquired business net sales as well as the impact of foreign currency translation, declined 3.1%.

Year-over-year quarterly sales changes by product category were as follows:

· Wallboard sales of $585.2 million increased 0.1% (down 0.3% on an organic basis).

· Ceilings sales of $175.3 million increased 9.9% (up 7.2% on an organic basis).

· Steel Framing sales of $232.1 million decreased 16.6% (down 17.4% on an organic basis).

· Complementary Product sales of $428.3 million increased 4.8% (down 1.4% on an organic basis).

Gross profit of $458.6 million decreased $5.9 million, or 1.3%, compared to the second quarter of fiscal 2023 notably due to deflationary dynamics in steel pricing. Gross margin was 32.3%, compared to 32.5% a year ago.

Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses were $300.9 million for the quarter, up from $279.0 million in the prior year period. Of the $21.9 million year-over-year increase, $12.6 million related to recent acquisitions and newly-opened greenfield locations. The remaining $9.3 million increase was primarily driven by higher wages and benefits as we executed against more robust sales volumes in our commercial and multi-family end markets, which tend to require a higher cost to serve than our single-family end market. Specifically, volume growth in Steel Framing was 13.0%, commercial Wallboard volumes grew 6.5% and Ceilings volumes grew 5.8%.

SG&A expense as a percentage of net sales increased 170 basis points to 21.2% for the quarter, compared to 19.5% in the second quarter of fiscal 2023 with 120 basis points of the difference due to steel price deflation, 30 basis points related to increased labor costs, primarily associated with the higher level of commercial and multi-family activity levels and the remaining 20 basis points due to recent acquisitions. Adjusted SG&A expense as a percentage of net sales of 20.6% also increased 170 basis points from 18.9% in the prior year quarter.

All in, inclusive of a $2.7 million, or 16.7%, increase in interest expense, net income decreased 21.5% to $81.0 million, or $1.97 per diluted share, compared to net income of $103.2 million, or $2.41 per diluted share, in the second quarter of fiscal 2023. Net income margin declined 150 basis points from 7.2% to 5.7%. Adjusted net income was $94.6 million, or $2.30 per diluted share, compared to $119.5 million, or $2.79 per diluted share, in the second quarter of the prior fiscal year.

Adjusted EBITDA decreased $28.0 million, or 14.3%, to $167.6 million compared to the prior year quarter. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 11.8%, compared with 13.7% for the second quarter of fiscal 2023.

Balance Sheet, Liquidity and Cash Flow

As of October 31, 2023, the Company had cash on hand of $76.5 million, total debt of $1.1 billion and $823.7 million of available liquidity under its revolving credit facilities. Net debt leverage was 1.5 times as of the end of the quarter, down from 1.6 times at the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2023.

For the second quarter of fiscal 2024, cash provided by operating activities improved to $118.1 million, compared to cash provided by operating activities of $107.3 million in the prior year period. Free cash flow improved to $102.1 million for the quarter ended October 31, 2023, compared to $96.5 million for the quarter ended October 31, 2022.

Expanded Share Repurchase Authorization

In October 2023, the Company’s Board of Directors approved an expanded share repurchase program under which the Company is authorized to repurchase up to $250 million of its outstanding common stock. This expanded program replaces the Company’s previous share repurchase authorization of $200 million, which commenced in June 2022, and reflects the Board’s confidence in the business going forward. The repurchases will be made from time to time on the open market at prevailing market prices or in negotiated transactions off the market.

During the quarter, the Company repurchased 688,717 shares of common stock for $44.3 million, of which $8.7 million was purchased under the new and expanded authorization. As of October 31, 2023, the Company had $241.3 million of share repurchase authorization remaining.

Platform Expansion Activities

During the second quarter of fiscal 2024, the Company continued the execution of its platform expansion strategy with the acquisition of AMW Construction Supply, LLC, a highly respected tools and fasteners and other complementary products distributor servicing the Phoenix, AZ metro area.

In addition during the quarter, the Company added two new greenfield locations and one new AMES store location.

Conference Call and Webcast

GMS will host a conference call and webcast to discuss its results for the second quarter of fiscal 2024 ended October 31, 2023 and other information related to its business at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, December 7, 2023. Investors who wish to participate in the call should dial 877-407-3982 (domestic) or 201-493-6780 (international) at least 5 minutes prior to the start of the call. The live webcast will be available on the Investors section of the Company’s website at www.gms.com. There will be a slide presentation of the results available on that page of the website as well. Replays of the call will be available through January 7, 2024 and can be accessed at 844-512-2921 (domestic) or 412-317-6671 (international) and entering the pass code 13741690.

About GMS Inc.

Founded in 1971, GMS operates a network of more than 300 distribution centers with extensive product offerings of Wallboard, Ceilings, Steel Framing and Complementary Products. In addition, GMS operates more than 100 tool sales, rental and service centers, providing a comprehensive selection of building products and solutions for its residential and commercial contractor customer base across the United States and Canada. The Company’s unique operating model combines the benefits of a national platform and strategy with a local go-to-market focus, enabling GMS to generate significant economies of scale while maintaining high levels of customer service.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

GMS reports its financial results in accordance with GAAP. However, it presents Adjusted net income, free cash flow, Adjusted SG&A, Adjusted EBITDA, and Adjusted EBITDA margin, which are not recognized financial measures under GAAP. GMS believes that Adjusted net income, free cash flow, Adjusted SG&A, Adjusted EBITDA, and Adjusted EBITDA margin assist investors and analysts in comparing its operating performance across reporting periods on a consistent basis by excluding items that the Company does not believe are indicative of its core operating performance. The Company’s management believes Adjusted net income, Adjusted SG&A, free cash flow, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin are helpful in highlighting trends in its operating results, while other measures can differ significantly depending on long-term strategic decisions regarding capital structure, the tax jurisdictions in which the Company operates and capital investments. In addition, the Company utilizes Adjusted EBITDA in certain calculations in its debt agreements.

You are encouraged to evaluate each adjustment and the reasons GMS considers it appropriate for supplemental analysis. In addition, in evaluating Adjusted net income, Adjusted SG&A and Adjusted EBITDA, you should be aware that in the future, the Company may incur expenses similar to the adjustments in the presentation of Adjusted net income, Adjusted SG&A and Adjusted EBITDA. The Company’s presentation of Adjusted net income, Adjusted SG&A, Adjusted SG&A margin, Adjusted EBITDA, and Adjusted EBITDA margin should not be construed as an inference that its future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items. In addition, Adjusted net income, free cash flow, Adjusted SG&A and Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies in GMS’s industry or across different industries. Please see the tables at the end of this release for a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA, free cash flow, Adjusted SG&A and Adjusted net income to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures.

When calculating organic net sales growth, the Company excludes from the calculation (i) net sales of acquired businesses until the first anniversary of the acquisition date, and (ii) the impact of foreign currency translation.

Forward-Looking Statements and Information

This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You can generally identify forward-looking statements by the Company’s use of forward-looking terminology such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “confident,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “seek,” or “should,” or the negative thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology. In particular, statements about the markets in which GMS operates, including in particular residential and commercial construction, and the economy generally, end market mix, backlog, pricing, volumes, the demand for the Company’s products, including Complementary Products, the Company’s strategic priorities and the results thereof, stockholder value, performance, growth, and results thereof, and future share repurchases contained in this press release may be considered forward-looking statements. The Company has based forward-looking statements on its current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. While the Company believes these expectations, assumptions, estimates, and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond its control, including current and future public health issues that may affect the Company’s business. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those described in the “Risk Factors” section in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, and in its other periodic reports filed with the SEC. In addition, the statements in this release are made as of December 7, 2023. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements made herein, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in expectation or otherwise. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s views as of any date subsequent to December 7, 2023.

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